Registration is now open for this year's ADCES Annual Conference, ADCES23. This year’s conference planning committee chair, Connie Brown-Riggs, joined The Huddle to talk about what new and exciting aspects to expect at ADCES23, including a celebration of ADCES's 50th anniversary.
To learn more and register for this year’s annual conference, visit adcesmeeting.org.
To learn more about ADCES’s 50th anniversary and hear stories from our members, visit ADCES 50th Anniversary (diabeteseducator.org)
To become a member of ADCES, visit diabeteseducator.org/join
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
Hello and welcome to ADCES's podcast, “The Huddle: Conversations with the Diabetes Care Team”. In each episode, we speak with guests from across the diabetes care space to bring you perspectives, issues, and updates that elevate your role, inform your practice, and ignite your passion. I'm Jodi Lavin-Tompkins, Director of Accreditation and Content Development at the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists. Registration is officially open for this year's annual conference, which will take place in Houston. We're gearing up for four days of continuing education, engaging speakers, hands-on workshops, and a host of exhibitors, as well as the opportunity to network with peers in the diabetes community. We're excited to welcome today's guest, Connie Brown-Riggs, this year's annual conference planning committee chair, to talk with us about what to expect at ADCES23.
Welcome Connie!
Constance Brown-Riggs:
Thank you. So glad to be here with you, Jodi.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
Yes, we're so glad to have you and before we start talking about the conference, could you introduce yourself for those listeners who may not know you?
Constance Brown-Riggs:
To give you a little bit about myself, I am a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist. I'm the owner of CBR Nutrition Enterprises, which is a consulting and counseling private practice in New York, where I provide individual counseling for people with diabetes, and also consultations services to corporate and community organizations. I'm also a freelance writer and the author of several diabetes-related books. And I've had the honor of serving on ADCES Board of Directors. And currently, I serve on the Professional Practice Committee. And my biggest claim to fame is for the past several years, I've opened our annual meeting with an acapella rendition of the National Anthem.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
Yes, I've heard you sing and you're wonderful. We're so glad to have you.
Constance Brown-Riggs:
Thank you.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
So, Connie, can you give listeners a high-level overview of what our annual conference entails and what they can expect at ADCES23?
Constance Brown-Riggs:
Sure. ADCES23 brings 3,000 colleagues from across the nation who share a passion for diabetes care and education together to learn, network and problem solve. And the conference this year will take place August 4th through the 7th in Houston, Texas. But it will be hybrid, so people who can’t make it in person also have the chance to hear high quality, specially selected on-demand sessions remotely. And we have 124 sessions planned with an opportunity to earn up to 45 CE/CME. And that's 21 if you're in person and 24 on demand. We’ll also have more than 150 exhibitors and over 250 speakers. And a lot of these are new speakers we've never had at the conference before. And it's also going to be a very high caliber, diverse group. So we're very excited about that. And we'll have poster presentations as always, and poster authors can record a three-minute audio to enhance attendees' poster viewing experience.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
Well, that sounds great. Thank you, Connie. And out of all these sessions, are there some that you think attendees would be particularly interested in this year?
Constance Brown-Riggs:
Yes, we have a lot of really interesting topics we'll be covering this year. Our tracks are actually organized into six areas: technology integration, equitable care for diverse individuals and populations, psychosocial and behavioral health, the business of providing cost effective and quality care, mitigating therapeutic inertia through team-based care, and diabetes and the cardiometabolic continuum. And we'll have a lot of really engaging sessions that hit on these topics. Our sessions will range from topics such as shifting your mindset to provide culturally relevant nutrition education to reducing cardiometabolic risks during care transitions from a gestational diabetes pregnancy. And, our Diabetes Educator of the Year will present on how to become a diabetes technology champion. And this is really exciting. A psychologist who specializes in diabetes is offering participants in her session the chance to bring their difficult cases for her to help problem solve.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
Oh, that is really unique and different and should be helpful for many people who attend that session. So Connie, I think our listeners would be interested in what the general session keynote speakers are gonna be talking about. Could you share a little bit about those?
Constance Brown-Riggs:
Absolutely. I'm so excited about this. Our first general session keynote speaker will be sharing strategies useful for relating to people of different ages, understanding what it takes to bring people together in a time of change and create a happier, more caring team. We want a happier, more caring team, patient experience and work environment. And our 2nd general session keynote speaker will identify ways to mitigate burnout and other stressors, and attendees will actually walk away with ideas on how to put character strengths into practice to build resilience while improving patient care.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
Those sound really intriguing and insightful and useful for our audience. And I know we have a lot of exciting things planned this year, some that are standard for our annual conference, but also some brand-new things. So can you tell us what's new this year?
Constance Brown-Riggs:
So what's new this year, we’ll have roundtable discussions with small groups and we'll be highlighting the top 10 poster presentations with special recognition. And the opening session is going to be different this year. We're actually having an emcee, and that's going to make it very exciting and interactive as well. On day three, our general session speaker is doing a breakout session right after. And whoever attends will get to put what they learned into practice with a workbook activity right after the session.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins
That sounds really great because it makes things more practical rather than just going to a general session, then being able to put what they learn into practice is really interesting concept.
Constance Brown-Riggs:
Yes, definitely.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
And we know that this year's conference is going to be very special because we're celebrating ADCES's 50th anniversary. I’m sure our listeners are interested in what is planned that is special for that anniversary.
Constance Brown-Riggs:
Yes, the 50th will be celebrated throughout the conference. In particular, our president's address from Lucille Hughes will spotlight the 50 years of progress made by the association.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
Yeah, that's going to be really exciting to listen to. I mean, I've been a member since 1988, so I've lived through a lot of those years of progress. So that'll be really fun to see. Well, thank you so much, Connie. Is there anything else you'd like to hit on that we haven't covered?
Constance Brown-Riggs:
Well, this year's conference is definitely one not to miss. So be sure to register at adcesmeeting.org. That's one word, adcesmeeting.org. An advance rate registration goes through June 22nd. And by becoming an ADCES member, you receive discounted registration as well. So I encourage everyone to register today for our golden anniversary celebration.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
Thank you so much Connie and we look forward to your rendition of the National Anthem in Houston.
Constance Brown-Riggs:
Thank you.
Jodi Lavin-Tompkins:
Thank you for listening to this episode of The Huddle. Make sure to download the resources discussed on today's episode. You can find them linked in the show notes at diabeteseducator.org/podcast. And remember, being an ADCES member gets you access to many resources, education, and networking opportunities. Learn about the many benefits of ADCES membership at diabeteseducator.org/join. The information in this podcast is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable for your individual circumstances. This podcast does not provide medical or professional advice and is not a substitute for consultation with a healthcare professional. Please consult your with your healthcare professional for any medical questions.